Saving a Life
by BethNoz16
Summary: Edward Nigma has a new way to pass time in Arkham. Thinking about the young woman who saved his life. OC R & R. May go up to M.
1. Chapter 1

_Thwack! The Batman's head snapped backwards and in to what looked to be an extremely uncomfortable position. The Riddler laughed and swung his cane again. It made contact with the vigilante's nose with a horrid cracking noise and immediately blood poured from his broken nose. Cuts and bruises dominated the man's body and yet he just kept coming. "_Really Batman, this is becoming tedious. Why can't you just admit that you've finally been beaten?" _In response the_ _Bat just stood up and cracked his neck in to its rightful position. _"I am never beaten Riddler." _And with that, he broke the Riddler's jaw. The Riddler fell to the floor, curling in to the foetal position, hand beneath his jaw. Usually the Batman would have hauled him over his shoulder and carried him back to Arkham, but this time, he kicked the man in the stomach. Hard. Harder than the Riddler had ever been struck, and he had been struck by a varying degree of forces. The blows kept landing and the Riddle r was introduced to a whole new world of pain. He curled himself tighter in to a ball. It suddenly occurred to him that he was going to die. He knew that if the Batman did not stop, he would not be saved. _

A/N: Ok, so this is just kind of a taster. Not really sure whether to upload anymore of it or not, so yeah. Tell me what you think. Characters and anything associated do not belong to me.


	2. Chapter 2

Edward Nigma awoke with a start, soaked with sweat, the sheets of his bed sticking to his body in the thick summer's heat. The dream still fresh in his mind, he got up and walked around his 12 by 12 cell. He wasn't on a rooftop somewhere getting his ass handed to him by The Bat. He was in his cell at Arkham. He was (relatively) safe. He sighed and leant against the wall, looking around the tiny room. All it was furnished with was a small bed with straps along the side in case any of the inmates had a 'moment', as it was so proficiently describe as by the doctors. Tiles were missing from the walls and what wasn't tiled was covered by his insignia. Edward rubbed his forehead, wincing as he touched the bruise that was forming on his temple. _That_ was from The Bat, but there was nothing more. No broken noses, jaws or anything else. Nothing. He sighed again and sat down on his bed. It was so irrational, dreaming that Batman would kill him. The Batman never killed. He knew that. Hell, even Joker knew that. So why was he dreaming of dying by the Batman's hand?

**A/N: I probably should have used this in the last part, but hey ho. I realised afterwards that the last chapter made the Batman seem OOC, but like I said hey ho. Batman still doesn't belong to me. Neither does Riddler. Unfortunately. Same as before, if you think I should continue, R&R. Thanks for reading. **


	3. Chapter 3

Anna wandered through the streets of Gotham, looking for her next customer. She often did this, although she hated herself for it. There was nothing she could do though. She had to do whatever she could if she wanted to keep her cash flow steady. She sighed and shivered as the wind blew her skirt even further up her thighs. She stood under a street lamp and waited for one of the cars passing to stop. Gotham was not a safe place to be at night when you were a young woman, but she had no other way of earning her keep. She closed her eyes and prayed once again that she would return home to her flat in the early hours, healthy and safe with a large wad of cash to hand, as a large ford estate drew up next to her. "Hey Honey, how much for the night?" The man at the driver's seat was short and balding with dark hair and grey streaks visible in the dim light. He stank of sweat. Anna pulled a disgusted face and answered.

"$50 an hour." He snorted.

"I'll give you $50 for the entire night."

"Then I guess I'll be seeing you mister." She retorted tartly as she turned and prepared to walk away. "Hey wait!" She turned around to face this ugly little man again.

"Yes?" She did not sound ready to bargain.

"A Hundred for the night." Anna thought about it, doing a quick mental tally in her head. Then she nodded slowly. "Ok." She walked slowly, reluctantly, over to the passenger seat and climbed in. He grinned and as they drove away and his huge hand clamped down on her thigh, Anna noticed the Bat Signal, high and bright in the night sky. She made a quite noise of disgust. If the Batman was such a hero, why couldn't he help the girls like her?

"So, what can I call you?" the guy interrupted her thoughts, his hand moving slowly up her thigh. She squelched the feeling of horror rising in her stomach and looked at him. "Honey."

"What? You don't got a name or somethin'?"

"Not if you want my services, I don't."

'After all,' she thought as she returned to her thoughts, 'this is just business. He's just another client. He'll be gone by morning and I'll be back walking the streets tomorrow night. Because that's all it is. It's just business.'

**A/N: Batman/Bat Signal, not mine. Anna is. I would like to thank K T 129 for your reviews. Glad you like it so far.**

**So, now both of the characters have been introduced, what do you think? I'm trying to make Anna as un-Mary Sue-ish as I possibly can, so feedback on ways to improve her will be accepted. Ok, thanks for reading! **


	4. Chapter 4

As the Joker began another rousing song to do with Batman and his intimate areas, the Riddler's eye twitched murderously. Next to him, Jonathan Crane smirked infuriatingly. "Are we getting bored with our crossword puzzles again, Edward?"

"No, _we_ are getting bored of these four walls and that imbecile's songs!" He snarled. It was the 'Community hour' at Arkham; which meant that all of the patients were forced to sit together in a large room and attempt to make pleasant small talk. At least that's what they were meant to do. Mostly, they just hissed death threats at one another while smiling politely. Occasionally, someone would bring up the Bat and then songs inappropriate for the ears of minors and the elderly would begin and the villains would put aside their differences and join in the euphoria that came with fantasising about killing him. It was like Christmas, in some sick twisted way. Crane looked over at the man singing and hummed. "Personally, I think this is one of the better ones." Edward's eye twitched again and he looked back to the newspaper on his lap. He stared at the page. Then:

"Which one of you lunatics filled in all the spaces of my crossword puzzle with 'Eddie is gay!'?" The entire room fell silent and suddenly all eyes were on either Edward or the Joker. The man with piercing red eyes stood and bowed. The room burst in to applause and manic laughter. Edward stood up, physically shaking with anger and strode over to the pale man. "Is this your idea of a joke?" He screeched, hands curling in to fists.

"Uhhh...Yeah, kinda. After all, I am the Joker!" He pointed out slowly, acting as though the Riddler was stupid. Edward's nails began to draw blood as he bit his lip to prevent himself from saying something he had no doubt he'd regret. After composing himself a little, Edward turned and walked back to his spot. "At least I don't need a female floozy that hangs on my every word to convince myself of my sexuality." He shrugged. The Joker laughed manically, before looking very confused.

"Wait, what?" Again, the Riddler just shrugged.

"I said: I do not need a floozy who hangs on my every word to assure myself of my sexuality. And on that note, I don't need to antagonise others either...And for future reference, I'm not gay." He finished, looking very satisfied. The Joker sputtered, unable to get the correct words out, while Harley just looked shocked beyond all belief. "And my name is Edward." He added, just for good measure.

**A/N: OK, so I decided to end it there, but this is actually leading somewhere, honest. Joker, Riddler, Harley and Crane don't belong to me. Also I am aware that Crane never appeared in The Batman cartoon, but just humour me 'kay? Anyway, in the next chapter, we might actually get somewhere with the plot. Fingers crossed...**


	5. Chapter 5

It is never, ever, a good idea to antagonise a mad man, especially the Joker. The Riddler, of all people, should have known this. Unfortunately, it would seem he had momentarily forgotten that golden rule and had insinuated that the Joker was gay. Now, he had awoken strapped to a chair in the back of a van with the Joker leering over him.

"Hey Riddles!" He cackled manically as Edward began to struggle against the straps. "How ya doin'?" Edward grunted and shook his head frantically.

"Oh, Puddin', can we cut him? Can we, Can we? Pleeeaaasee?" Harley bounced up and down in the back of the van like a demented bunny rabbit. Edward struggled in vain against the straps that held his limbs in place as the Clown Prince of Crime sighed. "Oh, I guess so Harls. Don't say I never let you do anything."

"Yay! Thanks Mr J! You're the best!" She squealed as Edward's eyes widened in horror. No sound came from his mouth, partly due to the fact that the Joker had had the good sense to gag him, partly due to the fact that he was physically unable to make the words form. They soon did in the form of pained moans and whimpers as Harley returned and began making precise and deliberately deep cuts along his forearms and legs with razor blade edged playing cards. Wriggling desperately as Harley turned to stare adoringly at the Joker and ask why he wasn't joining her, Edward got his ankle free from the restraints and kicked her in the head. She let out a pained scream and shot forward, heading straight for his throat with the card.

Before she reached him, however, she was grabbed away by a pair of white hands. "Now, now Harls." The Joker wagged his finger at his ever faithful sidekick. "Don't be ruining the fishies fun! They're waiting especially for Eddie right at the bottom of the river." Edward's eyes widened and he renewed his struggles. Harley giggled slightly and looked very satisfied with this promise, so she went back to her previous distraction: cutting Edward up like a piece of meat.

After minutes which had passed like hours, the van juddered to a halt. The Joker threw the back doors open and revealed his two huge thugs in their jester's garb. Punch and Judy. They quite easily lifted Edward, chair and all and set on the side of the bridge they drawn up to. "Now, Eddie... What were you saying about me and the Bat yesterday?" Edward shook his head frantically, his eyes wide with fright.

"What was that?" The Joker cupped his ear and leant close to the man. "I'm sorry!" Edward screamed fruitlessly against the gag. "It was just a joke!" The Joker straightened and showed all of his yellow teeth in a disgusting grin. "Oh, Riddles, you forgot the most important rule..." The grin disappeared and in its place a menacing scowl was left. "I'm the one who makes the jokes around here." The Riddler plummeted towards the water below as the Joker's howls of laughter met his ears.

He hit the water with an almighty splash, the cold immediately setting in. He held his breath and struggled with all his might as the chair sank straight to the bottom of the fast-flowing river. He struggled until his bonds bit in to his wrists and ankles and made blood mingle with the water. He pulled until his bloodied wrists slid out of the straps. Edward began working on his ankles, becoming more and more aware by the second that he needed to get to the surface. His lungs were burning and felt as though they were about to explode. He began to wish that he'd stayed in the swim team in high school. As soon as his feet were free, he began to swim towards the surface in a frantic race against the clock. His lungs felt tight and he could hear his heart pumping frantically as the water swept him from left to right. His head hit a rock as a particularly powerful undercurrent took hold of his body. His body became further battered against other rocks as all of the air was pushed from his lungs. Water filled his mouth and lungs as he tried to reach the surface. He was so close; he could almost feel the air in his lungs, but he felt so tired, it seemed impossible. He reached upwards, as far as he could, and with one last burst of strength, he propelled himself upwards, before everything around him turned black and his entire body fell limp in the rushing water.

**A/N: Batman/Joker/Harley/Riddler doesn't belong to me. Finally, we're getting somewhere! Also I suck at writing dramatic life and death scenes. Next chap will be up very soon. **


	6. Chapter 6

Anna was walking down the path next to the river after finishing with her last client for the night. She was quietly contemplating her position, and wondering whether or not she would have enough for that month's rent when she passed under a bridge and her laughter from above her that sent a chill down her spine. Everyone in Gotham knew that laugh. Whether they'd heard it first hand or just on the television, everyone knew it. The Joker. Anna stopped walking and pressed herself in to the side of the wall, just in case he was to lean over and see her. She heard something land in the river with a loud splash and a car of some sort speeding away, and all was quiet again. Carefully, she moved forward and peered in to the dark torrents of water that were spinning and shifting too quickly for her to see anything. She stared for a few more seconds before shaking her head and beginning to turn away. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw something rise from the water. All of her thoughts froze. It was a human hand.

Moving quickly, she dove in to the river, not really caring that it was freezing, and swam with strong strokes towards the person. She continued swimming, despite being battered against the rocks at the banks, and quickly reached the person. They were unconscious, sinking slowly to the bed. Anna grabbed the limp body and swam towards the surface.

She pulled the body on to the bank with little trouble. The person was a man with long dark hair. He was very skinny and very pale, which made Anna assume that he had been the Joker's prisoner for a while. His arms and legs were covered in fresh deep cuts that were oozing blood. He was naked too, which she assumed was some form of perverse torture on the Joker's part. She leant down to him and grabbed his wrist. There was no pulse. She placed him in the recovery position and began performing CPR, something she'd learnt in her swimming lessons as a little girl. After she pushed on his chest five times, he began to cough and splutter, water spurting from his mouth. He sat up and she crouched beside him, rubbing his back as he retched. "Come on," She very gently slipped her arm around his waist "let's get you to a hospital." The man shook his head and coughed up some more water. "No. No hospitals." He rasped before beginning his choking again. "But-"

"No Hospitals. Please." He cut her off before lapsing back in to unconsciousness. She stood up. "Okay." She murmured to his unconscious form. "No hospitals." She hoisted him up, so he was leaning lopsidedly on her shoulders. Very carefully, she tied her jacket around his lower half and made her way back to her apartment, half carrying, half dragging this strange half drowned man.

**A/N: I bet when I said soon, none of you realised that I meant the same night! Yep, typed up two separate chapters. (If you can't tell, I'm Very pleased with myself right now) So, Riddler got lucky and Anna...not so much. Anna is mine. Riddler/ Joker's laugh, not mine. **


	7. Chapter 7

Edward sat up slowly, wondering where he was. The pain hit him as soon as he was up straight, so he slumped back against the wall. The pain receded slightly, but not completely. He studied his surroundings from the thin-mattressed bed he had been placed on. He was in a small studio apartment, as far as he could tell. The bed was positioned in front of two small cabinets on which there were various articles of women's clothing. A one person table with a chair sat abandoned in the far corner of the room, next to a door, which he presumed was the exit. There was also a small TV in the other corner of the room and a lamp on top of it, but that was about it. Shivering slightly under the thin duvet, he looked for any signs of the inhabitants of this place. Obviously, whoever it was, was a woman. 'Apparently a woman who enjoys lace.' He noted, seeing at the lacy undergarments that lay abandoned upon the already messy floor. He shivered again, and pulled the duvet tighter around himself. He then peered down and released that he was naked. "What in God's name is going on?" He muttered, putting his hand to his head. He remembered going to his cell in Arkham feeling very pleased with himself and going to bed. He also remembered something about the Joker, a van and the river. As he flopped back on to the bed, exasperated, the door on the far side of the room opened and a timid head poked through. He blinked as a petite woman in a tatty bathrobe slipped in to the room. She hovered nervously by the table watching him with wide eyes.

"Umm...Hello." She gave him a tiny wave. He waved back, looking as perplexed as he felt. "How are you, uh, feeling?" The woman questioned, venturing a tiny bit closer. Edward considered this.

"My head hurts." He answered, deciding not to list everything he could think of that was wrong with his current situation. The woman, despite herself, stifled a giggle. "That's not really surprising, since I fished you out of the river the other night. I think you must have hit your head on the rocks down there pretty hard."

'Well. That explains a lot.' Edward thought, rubbing the back of his head only to find a large bump the size of an egg had grown there.

"I'm Anna." The woman picked her way over to the side of the bed and held out her hand to him. He hesitated for a moment, then shook it. "I'm Eddie. Eddie Nashton."

**A/N:Riddler doesn't belong to me. Anna does. R&R. We're finally getting on with the plot. (I know. I'm scared too.) **


End file.
